Load-releasing mechanism for logging-cars.



PATENTED JUNE 18, 1907. L. W. BROWN & A. W. GHAPPELLE. LOAD RELEASING MECHANISM FOR LOGGING CARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.10,1907.

THE NURRIS PEYERS 60-, wAsNINcYcm, n. c

UNITED STATES OFFICE.-

LEWIS W. BROWN, OF PORT NORFOLK, AND ALBERT W. OIIAPPELLE, OF IVOR, VIRGINIA.

LOAD-RELEASING MECHANISM FOR LOGGING-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1907.

Application filed April 10 1907. Serial No. 367,385.

ToaZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, Lnwls W. BROWN and ALBERT W. CIIAPPELLE, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Port Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk, and Ivor, in the county of Southampton and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Load-Releasing Mechanism for Logging-Cars; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for facilitating the release of log sustaining stakes of freight cars or sleds, and the object in view is the production of releasing means susceptible of being readily and easily manipulated without the exercise of any great amount of force.

The invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing,Figu re 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the bunk of a freight car supplied with one embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same, the stake being illustrated in its lowered position. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the parts seen in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, 1 indicates the bunk or end sill of a car, which bunk is provided at each end with side plates 2, 2 projecting beyond the end of the bunk. A stake 3 is pivotally connected at its lower end, as at 4, to the bunk 1 in position for swinging between the projecting ends of the plates 2. The stake 3 is engaged by a chain 4, which extends to and is connected with a shaft 5 journaled in the end of the bunk 1, the bunk being mortised out for accommodating the chain 41 and its connection with shaft 5, the mortise being sufficiently deep to accommodate the chain when wound about the shaft without any of the wound portion of the chain projecting above the surface of the ear. The outer end of the shaft 5 is squared for receiving a winding tool or crank, and between the squared portion and the side plate 2, a ratchet wheel 6 is fixed to the shaft. The ratchet wheel 6 is provided with ratchet teeth 7, the front shoulder of each of which teeth extends radially with respect to the axis of rotation of the ratchet wheel, and is adapted to be engaged by the squared end S of a pawl 9. The pawl 9 is pivoted, as at 10, in substantially the same horizontal plane with the highest point of the periphery of the ratchet 6, and an operating arm 11 is fixed to and extends from the pawl 10 at nearly right angles thereto, so that the said arm and pawl constitute an elbow or bell crank lever. The arm 11 is preferably longer than the pawl 9 for increasing the leverage on the said pawl when operating the same to release the ratchet. A pull rod 12 engages the lower end of the arm 11 and extends to the opposite side of the car from the stake 3 so that the operator may release the stake from the opposite side of the car.

In operation as many stakes 3 are employed as are found desirable, and of course, the stakes 3 are arranged on both sides of the ear, the pull rods 12 being extended in each instance to the opposite side from the stake controlled by the pull red. The particular form of the ratchet wheel 6 and the bell crank lever pivoted in the same horizontal plane with the highest point of the ratchet wheel makes possible the release of the ratchet wheel by a very slight pull upon the rod 12, even though the stake 3 be subjected to considerable lateral strain. The pawl 9 simply moves upwardly when the rod 12- is pulled and the ratchet (3 remains stationary until the pawl is free from the radial shoulder of the respective tooth, the radial form of the shoulder and the squared end of the pawl 9 together with the particular point of the pivot of the pawl facilitating the movement of the pawl without any great amount of strain being taken by the pawl. It is obvious, of course, that the pawl will effectually prevent release of the chain while the pawl is in engagement with the ratchet wheel, and the stake 3 will therefore be positively and firmly retained in place until it is desired to discharge the load, whereupon the rod 12 may be pulled for releasing the ratchet wheel, and the stake 3 will immediately drop to its lowermost position permitting of the lateral discharge of the load.

The stake 3 may of course be of any de sired type, but by preference we employ, as illustrated, a stake having a sockcted lower portion and a removable upper portion, so that after the first or second tier of logs has been placed upon a car or sled or other logging devices, the upper section of the stake may be inserted in the socket for supporting additional tiers of logs. It is obvious of course that the socket portion of the stake will be preferably made of metal, but maybe made of any suitable material, and the upper portion of the stake will be preferably made of wood.

/Vhile I have described throughout the specification the use of the present improved support and releasing mechanism for log sup porting stakes as applied to a freight car, it is of course obvious that the invention extends to the use of the same mechanism when ap plied to sleds or other devices intended for carrying logs, and I wish the claims hereto appended to be construed broadly enough to cover any such devices even though the term car is employed.

hat we claim is 1. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a portion of a car, of a log supporting stake pivoted thereto, a shaft ournaled in said portion, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft, a pawl pivoted at a point approximately in the horizontal plane of the highest point of the periphery of the said ratchet wheel, an arm projecting from said pawl substantially at right angles, means for operating the arm for releasing the pawl from engagement with the ratchet wheel, and a flexible connecting means between the stake and the said shaft adapted to be wound about the shaft for sustaining the stake in an upright position.

2. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a portion of a car, of a log supporting stake pivoted thereto, a shaft journaled in said portion contiguous to said stake, a chain connecting the stake and shaft and adapted to be wound about the shaft for sustaining the stake in an upright position, a ratchet wheel fixed to the shaft, and having teeth formed with radial shoulders, an elbow lever pivoted contiguous to said ratchet wheel in substantially the plane of the upper edge of the ratchet wheel, one of the arms of the elbow lever being formed with a squared end adapted to engage the shoulders of the ratchet teeth, and means engaging the other arm of said lever for swinging the lever upon its pivot for releasing the ratchet wheel and shaft and permitting the chain to unwind.

3. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with the bunk of a car, of a log sustaining stake pivotally connected with one end of the said bunk, a shaft journaled in said. bunk contiguous to said stake, a chain connecting the stake to said shaft and adapted to be wound about the shaft for sustaining the stake in an upright position, an elbow lever pivoted to said bunk to swing longitudinally of said car body and adapted to have one of its arms engage the said ratchet wheel, and a trip rod engaging the other of said arms and extending to the opposite end of the bunk from the said stake.

4. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a portion of a car, of a stake pivotally connected therewith, a shaft journaled in said portion, a chain connecting the stake to the shaft, a ratchet wheel fixed to the shaft, an elbow lever pivoted at a point substantially in the same horizontal plane as the highest point of the periphery of the ratchet, and having its arms extending at right angles, one of said arms serving as a pawl and arranged to engage the said ratchet wheel, and means connected with the other of said arms for facilitating operation of the elbow lever for releasing the ratchet wheel.

5. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a portion of a car, of a stake pivotally connected therewith, a shaft journaled in said portion, a chain connecting the stake with the shaft, and adapted to be wound about the shaft for sustaining the stake in operative position, a ratchet wheel fixed to the shaft, an elbow lever pivotally mounted contiguous to said ratchet wheel and adapted to have one of its arms engage the ratchet wheel as a pawl, the other of the arms of said elbow lever being of greater length than the first mentioned arm and adapted to be operated for moving the first mentioned arm out of engagement with the ratchet wheel for releasing the same.

6. In a mechanism of the class described, the combination with a bunk of a car, having a mortised out portion, of a shaft journaled in said bunk and extending across the mortised out portion, a chain fixed to said shaft within the said mortised portion, a stake connected with said chain and piv otally connected to said bunk, a ratchet wheel fixed to said shaft, a pawl pivoted in substantially the same horizontal plane as the highest point of the periphery of said ratchet in position for engaging the ratchet at such point, and means for releasing the pawl from engagement with the ratchet, the mortised out portion of said bunk being of sufficient depth for accommodating a chain when wound about the said shaft without the wound portion extending above the upper portion of the bunk.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

LEWVIS I/V. BROWN. ALBERT W. CHAPPELLE. Witnesses:

H. H. RUMKLE, E. STUART OoLBEnT. 

